Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Trends. Bailing Out Of A Bailout: The Case Of Brazil, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses international bailouts that are dependent on behavioral promises.

Trends. The Global Threat Of Fundamentalism, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the movement of neoclassical economics adhered to by leaders of the International Monetary Fund, many Western central bankers, ministers of finance, and global investors.

Trends. The Proliferation Of Nuclear Weapons And Economic Recession: Global Crises That Turn Right Thinking On Its Head, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the impact of the end of the cold war on the rest of the world.

Industrial Incentives: Competition Among American States And Cities, Peter S. Fisher, Alan H. Peters

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Public Perception Of Risk Management In Environmental Controversies: A U.K. Case Study, Maria Simosi, Peter T. Allen

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Simosi and Allen focus on issues arising from an environmental dispute in the U.K. Their case study findings are discussed in the context of existing environmental decision-making procedures in the U.K.

The United States House Of Representatives And The International Monetary Fund: Cognitions And Miscognitions, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides a brief cognitive analysis of rationales for not supporting the allocation of $18 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Trends. The Economic Psychology Of Conflict: A Japanese "Secret" Approach, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the potential "confusion" in the currency markets, in all the Asian markets.

Trends. The Proliferation Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction: Fungibility Of Money And Motivations, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the funding for weapons of mas destruction (WMD).

The Importance Of Cost And Effectiveness For Attitudes Towards Lifesaving Interventions, Joakim Ramsberg, Lennart Sjöberg

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Ramsberg & Sjöberg present the results of a study that evaluates Swedish attitudes about risks and corresponding lifesaving interventions.

Cognitive Complexity And The International Monetary Fund: An $18 Billion Question, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes two common political positions on the Clinton Administration's proposal to allocate an additional $18 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and then offers a less common position. The three positions may be differentiated by the psychological construct of cognitive complexity.

Contested Workplace: The Case Of The Strike Of The United Food And Commercial Workers Union Versus Meijer, Barbara Thomas Coventry, Marietta Morrissey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines the struggle between labor and management at four, newly-opened supermarket/discount stores, culminating in a strike. It considers workplace control as an issue in the strike and its resolution. Edwards' typology of workplace control is reviewed, along with other indirect forms of control explored in recent literature. Workers complained most stridently about direct control mechanisms. Workers' objections to technical and bureaucratic control played only a minor part in workers' decision to strike and the work stoppage's outcome. Indirect controls, including customer and gender-specific control mechanisms, were seldom questioned or acknowledged by workers. On the other hand, both the …

Profiling For Reemployment Bonus Offers, Christopher J. O'Leary

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Politics Of Three Case Studies Industrialization, Eve S. Weinbaum

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article analyzes the grassroots efforts of the working and unemployed poor of three Appalachian communities to improve their towns ' devastated economy in an era of rapid economic change and globalization. While all three were beset by plant closings, their forms of political mobilization, both before and after the shutdown, differed. Each group of workers mounted a communitywide campaign designed to convince the company to stay, to induce local government action, to receive pay and benefits due, and to influence state legislation and economic development policy. Mobilization in the wake of a plant closing is rather extraordinary, especially in …

Is Boston Becoming A Branch-Plant Town?, Lawrence Franko

New England Journal of Public Policy

A decade ago, Boston appeared to be emerging as a headquarters city for a large number of world-class enterprises. Notwithstanding the recovery from the early-1990s recession, and a thriving entrepreneurial economy of business acorns, Boston today seems on its way to becoming largely a branch-plant town. None of the 1980s Massachusetts Miracle saplings or the more recent acorns have grown into mighty corporate oaks headquartered here. This article discusses the risks of having our current prosperity increasingly based on branch plants acquired or established by firms centered elsewhere. Its concern is based on the proposition that having big-business corporate headquarters …

The Professional Decline Of Physicians In The Era Of Managed Care, Aimee E. Marlow

New England Journal of Public Policy

Physicians have long enjoyed prestige, power, and autonomy, but the rise of managed care organizations has drastically changed their status. Many doctors are in thrall to the financial well-being of the corporations that employ them, their knowledge and expertise controlled and manipulated in the interest of profit maximization. This article investigates the professional decline of physicians, citing the use of gag clauses, incentives to withhold care, and the breakdown of their authority. In an effort to regain some measure of control, physicians have taken their concerns to the public, supporting state and federal legislation that attempts to curb questionable managed …

Trends. Globalization: Good News For The Militarily, Environmentally, And Economically Challenged, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

With globalization comes increasing interdependence. With this interdependence comes increasing military, environmental, and economic threats from the weak.

From Isolationism To Interventionism In Maine, 1939-1941, Francis Rexford Cooley

Maine History

In 1939, with world war looming in Europe, Maine’s all Republican delegation in Congress remained predominantly isolationist, with Representative James C. Oliver the state ’s leading critic of pro-British internationalism. Over the course of a few months in 1941, the delegation made a remarkable turnabout, leaving Oliver to face the winds of political change. While the decisions made by the Maine delegates were shaped by unfolding events in Europe, they also reflected, as the author points out, the perception that preparedness would benefit Maine economically. Mr. Cooley is the Lecturer-in Academic-Studies at Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, and …

From The Ibpp Research Associates. Brazil: Rafael Raffaelli. Part I, Rafael Raffaelli

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

Dr. Rafaelli is affiliated with Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)--Federal University of Santa Catarina--which is located on Santa Catarina Island in Southern Brazil. His current research interests include the (1) representation of nature in the arts and (2) philosophy and implications of representation in the current social and psychological conceptions of environment leading to political action. Dr. Raffaelli also is affiliated with a doctoral program in the above areas. The author discusses the current economics crisis in Brazil.

Trends. Southeast Asia And The Economic Crisis: Bailing Out Or Bailing In?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses some of the opponents to International Monetary Fund (IMF)-directed aid for Asian countries in economic crisis contend that rich creditors to these countries are being bailed out--with most of the pain left to the middle class and the poor.

Maine's Science And Engineering Brain Drain: How Much And Why?, Louis G. Tornatzky, Denis Gray, Stephanie A. Tarant, Julie Howe

Maine Policy Review

More than the traditional economic ingredients, the new global economy is being built around talented people with special knowledge and skills, those with the capacity to innovate and the entrepreneurial wherewithal to turn ideas into commercial products. Hence many states are shifting economic development strategies away from efforts that market commodities such as low tax rates and cheap labor, and toward efforts that amass and equip talented people with the tools of innovation. In short, states are beginning to think about strategies for recruiting and/or retaining talented workers. In this regard, the Southern Technology Council conducted a national study to …

Japanese U.S. Auto Transplant Production: An Analysis Of The Roles Of Vers And The Exchange Rate, Michael Cornstubble

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

Since their introduction in 1982, Japanese auto transplants in the U.S. have skyrocketed in production, now producing many more cars than are imported. This study incorporates new refinements and revisions to attempt to identify the main factors that are responsible for the introduction of Japanese auto transplants and their massive growth in production over the last 14 years. The author develops two hypotheses for theoretical analysis of the factors contributing to production decisions. The first is that the voluntary export restraints (VERs) imposed on the Japanese from 1981-1985 are responsible for bringing the transplants to the U.S. and for creating …

Firm Size And R&D; Testing The Schumpeterian Hypothesis, Melissa Goodwin

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper aims solely to look at the question of R&D, research and development, expenditure. More specifically, this paper asks the question, "What is the relationship between the size of the firm and R&D? And do larger firms spend more on R&D relative to their size than smaller firms?" The answers to these questions have important implications concerning a firm's incentives for growth and innovation. These answers will also put us a step closer to understanding the functions performed by firms as Coase suggests.

Are Economies Moving In The Direction Of Smaller Firms?, Hong Kian Boon Kelvin

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper assesses the present situation of the SME sector in Singapore, and appraise its role in the future. SMEs are a distinct economic entity that often thrive in small niches. SMEs may be defined in various ways, in terms of the country's stage of development and policy objectives. While the SMEs can play many strategic roles in our transition to the innovation driven stage of development, recent trends over the decade have shown that they still have a long way to go.

Editor's Note: Some figures are missing from this article. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Crowding Out And Government Spending, Marie Carrasco

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the relationship between budget deficits and private investment and to contribute to the discussion of whether or not such a relationship exists. We test the robustness of Cebula's (1985) model by extending the time period, by testing the model using a proxy for one of the variables, and by de-trending the variables.

A Test Of Additional Effort Expenditure In The "Walk Year" For Major League Baseball Players, Benjamin D. Grad

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

Whether they "overperform" or underperform, it is clear that there is incentive for players to do well in their walk year. This same incentive is not present for players either already tied up in long-term contracts or those without enough major league service time to qualify for free-agent status. This paper seeks to test whether the assertion that players perform better and expend more effort in their "walk year" is empirically observable.

Editor's Note: Figures are missing from this article. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Minimum Wage In America Will Current Legislation Really Help The Working Poor?, Douglas A. Noe

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This same incentive is not present for players either already tied up in long-term contracts or those without enough major league service time to qualify for free-agent status. Were Finley's plan adopted, this incentive would be present for all players in all seasons, instead of just the few hoping for lucrative contracts at the end of the year. While the competitive balance (and aggregate statistics) may not be effected, if work effort is indeed endogenous, overall effort (and "hustle") would likely be increased, and a finer product would be put on the field, potentially increasing attendance and thus revenues. Thus, …

Winning The Marathon: A Reconsideration Of The Development Effects Of Neo-Classical Trade Practices, Peter Weylie, Jean-Pierre Guevremont

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper focuses on the trading policies of developed nations, specifically import quotas, and their positive and negative effects on developing countries. We hope to show that the case is not as polar as was once believed and instead focus on how the current literature suggests that the real effects of free-trade are shrouded in nuance and circumstance. Our starting point will be an analysis of the fashionable neo-liberal trade theory and its impact on development, making special reference to the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA). We will then turn our attention to the shortcomings of the neo-liberal approach, and provide a …

The Importance Of Maine's Economic Ties With Canada: Some Thoughts Related To The East-West Highway, Richard E. Mueller

Maine Policy Review

Whether to build an east-west highway across central Maine has been widely debated in recent months and, regardless of where one stands on the issue, all agree it is important to study the idea further. In this article, Richard Mueller addresses Maine's economic linkages with Canada and assesses how an east-west highway would affect them. He focuses on cross border traffic flows, inter-provincial truck activity, Canadian-American trade, and tourism, concluding that there is little doubt an east-west highway would bring economic benefits to northern and central Maine. Yet he cautions policymakers to consider the investment carefully. Highways are two-way streets …

Workers And Jobs: The Balance Is Shifting, Frank O’Hara

Maine Policy Review

In an era when the availability of skilled labor is deemed one of the most important ingredients of economic growth, Maine faces a labor shortage that is unlikely to disappear soon. Frank O’Hara traces the rapid growth of Maine’s labor force through the 1970s and 1980s, its slow growth through the 1990s, and explains why slow to no growth can be expected in the future. Unlike a decade ago when concern over the availability of Maine workers disappeared with the onset of a recession, O’Hara predicts this labor shortage is here to stay and has implications for al regions of …